best cutting tool for the trade?

[ilyaz]

Since I am cheap, I have so far managed to avoid using any type of power tool for scrapping -- other than my station wagon. However, it seems that I have to buy some type of power metal cutter. What would be the best tool for the job, in terms of price (both of the tool and blades), ease of use, versatility, and reliability? I have seen sawzall mentioned here a few times, but are there better alternatives?

I do small scale scrapping focusing on copper and aluminum. So the type of cutting I would be doing -- I think -- is cutting off copper piping, cutting open appliances, removing blades from fans of various types to get the motors etc. I will not be cutting huge amounts of steel since I am trying to stay away from scrapping it, just to get through it to other metals.

Thanks

[Kurr]

Angle grinder with grinding and cutting disks.

Takes the heads off them bolts and slices through thin steel bodies/braces/etc.

[aloneibreak]

i use both a sawzall and grinder - its just your personal preference i guess

whatever you decide to buy though, dont skimp

get a decent tool that will last...

ive got along great with dewalt

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-sa ... 85k_2.aspx

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-me ... 411ka.aspx

[justoneguy]

I like both the angle grinder and sawzall
but for bigger jobs i really like the blue wrench.

[ilyaz]

Thanks for all the advice. I am leaning toward getting a saw second and a grinder third. But first... It occurred to me that I already have a cordless drill. So the obvious question is: can I buy some type of attachment for it to turn it into a grinder/saw of sorts? I already use it regularly for sanding -- so it seems there should be a similar gizmo for grinding/cutting metal. What would you recommend?

[messymessy]

One of the guys at work has a cutting wheel attachment for his cordless drill. It's handy to get into tight spots, but it's not heavy duty enough to scrap with. I'd get a cordless saw that uses the same batteries as your cordless drill.

[abe]

I saw a tool in Lowes yesterday that was 5 tools in one, can't remember all of them, but I will have one. It cost $159, but should pay for itself in no time. After I get one I'll give ya the details.

[Heartkill]

I wouldn't recommend a cordless drill for cutoff work. I have pretty decent Milwaukee 18V and even it would be cumbersome to use with a cutoff wheel I would normally use in my 1/4" angle grinder.

I use a Milwaukee 28V cordless sawzall for heavy work. Overkill, yes... but its paid for itself in the long run. I got the kit with 2 batteries, case and charger. If you don't want to spend $350+ like I did, you could always get a Harbor Freight cheapie and use it until it dies. You get what you pay for and as my "go-to" get it done tool, I didn't go cheap.

[silversaddle1]

Since you are cheap, you will never make as much money on scrap as you could have.

If you are not willing to invest in your business, you will get very little in return out of it.

My wife and I stared out our scrap business with 1 hammer and 3 screwdrivers. First check we made we bought a sawzall.

That was 21 years ago, and now we scrap full time, and don't worry about money anymore.

[ilyaz]

Since you are cheap, you will never make as much money on scrap as you could have.

If you are not willing to invest in your business, you will get very little in return out of it.

My wife and I stared out our scrap business with 1 hammer and 3 screwdrivers. First check we made we bought a sawzall.

That was 21 years ago, and now we scrap full time, and don't worry about money anymore.

Well, I have a full time job and a family, so I am treating metal scrapping as "hobby with benefits", since I simply do not have time and space to expand.

When I said that I was cheap this meant that I would buy expensive tools only when I feel I absolutely have to. And even then I prefer to buy what I absolutely have to trying to get by as much as I can with already available resources. From this discussion I see that it's a good idea to start by investing in just one tool, most likely a sawzall. But definitely not more than that.

[messymessy]

If you don't have to have a cordless sawzall, you can probably pick up a good sawzall at a garage sale or auction for $20 or $40.

[Dr. Cadmium]

Tools are difficult to find at garage sales, but if you're persistent you can get good deals on used reciprocating saws. This year I picked up a fully working DeWalt with case and blades for $19 and a fully working Milwaukee with case (no blades) for $5.

I recommend a corded one, as they generally have more power and you don't have to worry about expensive batteries. 90% of the cordless power tools I've bought used or found in the trash had issues with the batteries or chargers.

If you're cutting up smaller items or want something more versatile, a Dremel rotary tool is a good investment. These can cut and spark test metals as well as notch unusual screws so you can remove them with a standard screwdriver. They're great for all kinds of hobbies as well.

[Computer Jones]

A 5# hand sledge with or with out a 3/4" chisel works pretty good.
A 10# log maul works good too.

I like my sawwzall for applications that need a "finer" touch.

[silversaddle1]

Since you are cheap, you will never make as much money on scrap as you could have.

If you are not willing to invest in your business, you will get very little in return out of it.

My wife and I stared out our scrap business with 1 hammer and 3 screwdrivers. First check we made we bought a sawzall.

That was 21 years ago, and now we scrap full time, and don't worry about money anymore.

Well, I have a full time job and a family, so I am treating metal scrapping as "hobby with benefits", since I simply do not have time and space to expand.

When I said that I was cheap this meant that I would buy expensive tools only when I feel I absolutely have to. And even then I prefer to buy what I absolutely have to trying to get by as much as I can with already available resources. From this discussion I see that it's a good idea to start by investing in just one tool, most likely a sawzall. But definitely not more than that.

I understand what you said. My wife and I both had full time jobs and kids too when we started junking. The sky's the limit in this business, it's all up to you and what you are willing to put into it. That's all I was saying. I was not trying to put you on the spot. Yes, a cordless 18 volt Dewalt sawzall would be a perfect investment for you. You will find that with limited space, the smaller you can prepare your scrap, the more you can save up. Once you can start saving scrap, you will be suprised at how fast it adds up. Next thing you know you have a hundres pounds of copper, and maybe 200 pounds of aluminium, and so on. Then the checks get interesting!

[bruce hylton]

I recently bought a "TwinCut" saw from Costco for $129.95 plus tax. Less than a week and wore out the blades and ruined the guard. Took it back for a full refund and bought another. First saw cut up 1067 lbs of aluminum, 20 pounds copper, 170 pounds of steel up to 1/2" in diameter and a thousand rivets. Also cleaned 100 pounds of heavy brass by cutting lengthwise along the shaft of a pump I had found. I have just about every other tool you can imagine and nothing has impressed me as this tool did. Sears also makes one of these type saws.

[Hades12]

A good battery sawsall works fine as long as you don't try to go for hours. I use one to do my work and went till my arms hurt before both batterys were dead last night. I really like an air cut off wheel also. works easerier then the chop saw on some stuff. the chop saw is much better when pulling motor windings though.

Used the Hot knife today to open up a compressor unit, still now sure if it is worth the money for the gas.

[oober]

If your cutting thin non ferrous material a cordless circular saw with a metal cutting blade will work great. Conduit, Copper Water pipe, Aluminum gutters, sheeting, it will cut it all.